Google SketchUp is an engineering tool that you can use to quickly create three dimensional objects to scale. A key activity that you will do again and again in SketchUp is aligning one component to another. Fortunately, SketchUp makes this a relatively straightforward process because it automatically marks the points at which you can align to objects. The program's creators call this "inference." You can use inference to quickly align objects along any plane and at any point, face or edge.

Open the scene that you would like to work on by clicking "File," then "Open." Use the Windows Explorer box that appears to locate your scene and double-click to open it.

Click the "Select" tool, located in the upper left-hand corner of the user interface, then triple-click the object that you would like to manipulate.

Click the red "Move" tool, then click the object that you are aligning the first object with.

Move the mouse slowly over the second object to make the inference points appear.

Click the mouse one time over an inference point to select it. For example, to align the first object with the second at an end point, simply click the mouse when the "End Point" tool tip appears.

Tips

SketchUp will automatically find all of the possible alignments between two objects when you use the move tool. As you mouse over the second object, these alignments appear as tool- tips over it. The possible alignments are "End Point," "Mid Point" and "On Edge." You can also align objects along the blue, red and green axes in this manner.

You may find that there are times when you need to move an object closer to another object before you align them. To do this, simple triple click the object, click the "Move" tool, and then click anywhere within the work space to move it.

You can move your objects along only one axis at a time by holding the corresponding arrow key down while you use the move tool. For instance, to move only along the X axis, hold the right or left arrow key down.

If you are unsure of the name of a tool on the toolbar, simply hover the mouse cursor over it and its name will appear in a tool-tip.

Warning

Be sure to click your object three times so that you select all of its faces, end points, and edges. If you do not, you will deform it when you use the "Move" tool.

About the Author

Tommy Charles is a professional writer and researcher for several websites. Focusing primarily on financial markets, he also writes for broader arenas and has written several articles focusing on general interest topics such as secure Web browsing, coin collecting and computer science. His ongoing series of articles concerning the FOREX market and game theory have received a wide readership.